This page will provide best practices for judges, attorneys and advocates on how to secure the attendance, in court proceedings, of immigrants who are being detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) so that immigrants can participate in family court proceedings involving their children.
Where children of an immigrant parent, who is a party to a court case impacting their parental rights, are detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the Detained Parents Directive applies.
The following links provide relevant government documents from ICE regarding detained parents and their children.
- ICE Detained Parents Directive: Detention and Removal of Alien Parents or Legal Guardians (August 29, 2017)
- Fact Sheet: ICE Policies and Procedures Involving Detained Parents and Legal Guardians (March 2018)
- ICE Detained Parent Directive May 2018 -Webpages
For questions regarding these issues, please contact NIWAP for technical assistance by calling our technical assistance line at (202) 274-4457 or emailing NIWAP at info@niwap.org. We provide technical assistance directly to judges, court staff, advocates and attorneys.